Senator Graham's death leaves Israel without key Washington ally

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Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death is a major blow to Israel’s efforts to persuade the U.S. to keep up its military campaign against Iran, as well as to other Israeli goals in Washington, according to those familiar with U.S. strategy in the region.

The 71-year-old Republican from South Carolina was long one of Israel’s biggest champions. He backed the Middle Eastern nation on numerous fronts, from securing arms deals with the U.S. to trying to normalize relations with the Saudis.

Above all, Graham — a national security hawk — supported Israel against the Islamist regime in Tehran, at times advocating for military strikes even when President Donald Trump hesitated. Graham’s close ties to Trump and his senior status in Congress, where he had sway over foreign policy spending , enhanced his influence.

Graham’s death is especially untimely for Israel because the country, where he was a frequent guest, has been bleeding support among Americans . Both Democrats and Republicans have had growing frustrations with Israel, especially over its heavy-handed military campaign in Gaza and its guns-first approach to Iran.

Israelis “always knew that Lindsey was trying to integrate Israel into the region and to combat Iranian influence. To lose that as a permanent aspect — someone who would be on TV, using his gavel with that authority, everything else, and to lose that — that hurts,” said one Middle East analyst with ties to Israeli officials who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations.

On Monday, Trump listed Israel among those “who really lost” from Graham’s death. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the late senator on Sunday as a man who “ never wavered ,” including on stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Asked for comment on Graham’s role in Trump’s Iran policy, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly praised Graham but said, “The president listens to many opinions on any given issue, including Iran, but ultimately decides based on what he feels is best for the country.”

Iran’s state-controlled media, meanwhile, reacted with glee to the loss of one of their biggest opponents in Washington. One article was headlined “ Death of the Merchant of Death .”

Graham’s office did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

While Graham was known for his support of military action against Iran, he also was careful about staying on Trump’s good side, former U.S. diplomats and analysts said. He expressed support for Trump’s efforts to end the war with Iran via a diplomatic agreement, but made it clear he was skeptical the effort would succeed. His skepticism was shared by the Israeli government , which views the Iranian regime as an inherently unreliable diplomatic partner.

Tom Nides, who served as a U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Biden administration, said Graham also was a powerful voice pushing for the establishment of diplomatic ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia — something Netanyahu badly wants to achieve.

Graham had earlier spoken out harshly against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman over his alleged role in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi . But, after a process that included talks with Biden administration officials, Graham made up with the prince in 2023 and began pushing for Israel and Saudi Arabia to establish relations.

The Saudi-Israel normalization project has been largely sidelined in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Saudi demands that Israel support a pathway to a Palestinian state.

Nides and others pointed to Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) as possible successors who could advocate for Israel in the same way Graham did. Both are hawkish on national security, especially when it comes to dealing with Tehran, but they are not as close to Trump and are considered less personable by Democrats.

“Graham is an unusual figure because Democrats liked him, too. I mean, they got pissed at him, but they liked him,” Nides said.

Cruz and Cotton’s offices did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Fred Fleitz, who served as a National Security Council chief of staff in Trump’s first term, suggested that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe are two already prominent voices who might become even more influential on Iran in the days ahead, although neither is believed to have been as gung-ho about going to war as Graham had been.

“Trump listens to a lot of people, but he clearly listens to Senator Graham,” Fleitz said. “He would call him for advice, and Graham would call him constantly to try to give him his counsel to help him push responsible national security policy.”

Jerry Wu and Megan Messerly contributed to this report.